Tubular body members generally include blood vessels (such as arteries and veins), tendons, bile ducts and other generally tubular structures found or used within a human or animal body. Such tubular structures are sometimes removed, either for use somewhere else in the body or simply because removal is desired or necessary. For example, the long sapheneous vein (LSV), located in subcutaneous fatty tissue in an anteromedial compartment of the lower leg and thigh, is sometimes removed for use in various procedures, such as arterial bypass surgery and preparing an arteriovenus loop for dialysis, etc. The length of the harvested LSV may vary generally from 20 cm to 100 cm.
Phlebology is the medical discipline that involves the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of venous origin. The venous system in the legs consists of a deep venous system and a superficial system. For example, in the deep venous system the femoral veins are important, while in the superficial system the long and short saphenous veins are important veins. The superficial system is also comprised of veins confined to the subcutaneous fatty tissue that can be varicose in nature.
Traditionally, these blood vessels have been removed either by making a long incision along the leg from about the ankle to the groin, or by making a series of multiple, bridged incisions. Tissue (primarily fat) including the blood vessel is dissected from the leg through the incision(s) and the blood vessel is then dissected from the surrounding tissue. These procedures can be time-consuming and/or painful for the patient. Further, the harvested vein must be extensively handled in order to remove the surrounding tissue, which can result in damage to the blood vessels.
It is desirable to provide a device and method for quickly extracting tubular structures while minimizing patient discomfort and handling of the tubular structure. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a device that is strong and durable, so as to capable of use in a variety vein size and thickness, while actuating in a generally longitudinal direction relative to the tubular structure so as to minimize patient discomfort.